Chapter 417: Chapter 385: 14 Kills

"Fellow Daoist Zhou, how many Spirit Pearls did you gather?"

"Not many. About three hundred merit points’ worth in total. What about you?"

"Sigh, don’t even ask! I ran into someone from the Earth Dark Sect on the very first day. Almost lost my life. Good thing I’m a fast runner..."

Back on the ship, the cultivators gathered, chatting and laughing, all feeling fortunate to have survived such a dangerous mission.

Before long, cultivators started returning one after another. One of them, holding a long brow blade, immediately drew everyone’s attention.

"Zhou Song, where did you get that brow blade?"

A cultivator on the ship asked.

"The day before yesterday, I ran into an Earth Dark Sect cultivator. I was lucky enough to kill him and took this brow blade as loot."

Zhou Song gave a reserved smile and pulled an Earth Dark Sect insignia from his storage pouch.

"Brother Zhou, your courage is extraordinary. I’m impressed."

"A good kill! It’s revenge for our fallen brothers."

Everyone chimed in with praise.

Gan Xingquan silently counted. Fourteen of the cultivators who had gone out had returned. More might still be on their way back. It wasn’t a bad outcome.

’Right, what about that person named Zhao Lin?’

Gan Xingquan’s heart leaped into his throat.

Nie Kui had asked him to look after Zhao Lin. If something had happened to Zhao Lin, it wouldn’t be his fault, but it would still be difficult to explain to his old friend.

Just then, two figures appeared in the distance, swimming toward their sea vessel.

It was Zhao Lin and Tao Yan.

Gan Xingquan breathed a sigh of relief. He focused his gaze and noticed that each of them was carrying a person over their shoulder, which made him curious.

When Zhao Lin and Tao Yan got closer, Gan Xingquan saw clearly that they were carrying the bodies of Fu Dong and Liu Lian.

"What you’ve done... is very good."

Gan Xingquan said with approval, then had the guards help lift the bodies onto the ship.

"Fellow Daoist Zhao, you... why do you have so many brow blades?"

A cultivator, seeing the glittering pile Zhao Lin was carrying, cried out in shock when they realized it was over a dozen brow blades.

Everyone looked over, their faces masks of astonishment.

Before Zhao Lin could speak, Tao Yan took the initiative. "They’re from the Earth Dark Sect cultivators that Brother Zhao killed."

The crowd was stunned speechless. Even Gan Xingquan was dumbfounded.

"Fellow Daoist Tao, you must be joking, right? I just counted—fourteen brow blades. Are you telling me Fellow Daoist Zhao killed fourteen members of the Earth Dark Sect?"

"Earth Dark Sect cultivators aren’t made of clay. How could one person kill so many?"

"Yeah, Elder Gan said the highest record was killing five Earth Dark Sect cultivators. This is just illogical."

Tao Yan pulled a pile of storage pouches from his person and dumped them on the deck. "I can testify. Brother Zhao killed them all. These belonged to them, too."

Even with the evidence right in front of them, some people still refused to believe it.

Killing fourteen Earth Dark Sect cultivators single-handedly was simply unheard of. Moreover, Zhao Lin was only at the Qi Refining Fourth Layer. Even for a Martial Cultivator, it should be impossible.

"Brother Zhao, did you really kill that many Sea Ghosts?"

Ran Pengfei had crossed paths with Zhao Lin yesterday. Thinking back, Zhao Lin had left the pearl beach, possibly heading toward the Earth Dark Sect’s area. He was starting to believe it.

"It wasn’t all my doing. Fellow Daoist Tao helped as well," Zhao Lin replied nonchalantly.

Gan Xingquan knew of the Earth Dark Sect’s credo: so long as a man lives, his blade is with him. Since the blades were here, he feared their owners had truly been killed by Zhao Lin.

He smiled faintly and said, "It’s actually very simple to confirm this. We just need to take a look at the Earth Dark Sect’s side."

"Right! We’ll know if it’s true or not as soon as we see."

"Great idea! Let’s go take a look."

The crowd voiced their loud agreement.

Gan Xingquan readily agreed and had the guards steer the ship toward the waters near the Earth Dark Sect.

The scene that unfolded next left everyone utterly shocked.

The gray-haired elder, who had been so arrogant just a few days ago, was now sitting alone at the bow of his ship. His expression was wooden, and it seemed many more white hairs had appeared on his head.

Beside the gray-haired elder, there was indeed only a single Earth Dark Sect cultivator left.

Everyone on the ship turned to look at Zhao Lin in unison, their eyes filled with awe. ’Is he even human?’ they thought.

Gan Xingquan burst out laughing, feeling immensely satisfied. He raised his voice and shouted, "Isn’t that Zhuxia? We haven’t seen each other for a few days, how have you aged so much?"

"Oh, by the way, I don’t see your sect’s cultivators. Haven’t they returned yet?"

The gray-haired elder slowly turned his head, his gaze as sharp as a falcon’s sweeping over the crowd before finally landing on Zhao Lin.

He had seen the true meaning jade slip and recognized Zhao Lin at a glance. His forces had been almost completely wiped out on this expedition, and he was ninety percent certain Zhao Lin was responsible. His eyes were filled with bone-deep hatred.

Gan Xingquan took a step forward, blocking Zhao Lin. "What are you looking at? Who was it that said we’d ’wait and see’?"

The gray-haired elder sneered. "Very good. Congratulations on producing such a talent. I hope he lives a long life."

With that, he lingered no longer, ordering his sea vessel to sail toward Red Tail Island.

"Fourteen Sea Ghost heads... Let me calculate how many merit points that’s worth."

"What’s there to calculate? Two hundred per head, that’s two thousand eight hundred."

"My heavens, that’s so many..."

On the way back, the cultivators discussed in low voices.

Some were envious, others were jealous. Some even began to suspect that the Earth Dark Sect cultivators weren’t as formidable as the rumors claimed; if they had known, they would have killed a few themselves to earn some merit points.

Upon returning to the island, Zhao Lin was immediately granted an audience with the Island Master, Chu Hongtian.

Chu Hongtian looked to be under fifty. He had a scholarly air and a humble attitude, showing none of the arrogance expected of a Purple Mansion Realm cultivator.

He first inquired about Zhao Lin’s origins, praised him profusely, and then asked, "Young friend Zhao, may I ask how you managed to kill those fourteen Earth Dark Sect cultivators?"

"If you’re not willing to answer, you don’t have to," Chu Hongtian added.

Facing a Purple Mansion Realm cultivator, Zhao Lin dared not be disrespectful. Of course, he also didn’t believe the question was asked casually. He answered seriously, "Island Master, my cultivation is limited and my strength is ordinary. It would have been difficult to achieve this through magic alone."

"However, I am a Martial Cultivator and happen to be proficient in a breath-holding assault technique, which is well-suited for sneak attacks on the sunless seabed."

This was the explanation Zhao Lin had prepared in advance. It wasn’t entirely a lie, and he delivered it with a frank tone.

Hearing Zhao Lin attribute his success to martial arts, Chu Hongtian said, "Oh," and didn’t probe further. "Good. I will have someone calculate your merit points immediately. The captured brow blades, storage pouches, and other items can also be exchanged for Spirit Stones and merit points."

"I’ll try to have a result for you within five days. You can then go to the Merit Hall to collect your points."

Zhao Lin felt a sense of relief and asked, "Island Master, may I keep three of the brow blades?"

The brow blades were forged from high-quality refined gold. Zhao Lin planned to find an Artifact Refiner to melt them down and craft a magic treasure suited for him.

Chu Hongtian smiled. "Of course. These are spoils from outside the mission requirements. You can dispose of them as you see fit."

Zhao Lin thanked him and continued, "I would also like to take one Third Grade Spirit Pearl."

Spirit Pearls were better than Spirit Stones for restoring Spiritual Power. Zhao Lin wanted to keep one as a backup for emergencies.

It was impossible to hide Spirit Stones privately. Storage pouches couldn’t completely block Spiritual Qi, making them detectable by Demon Beasts that could sniff out Spiritual Qi, or by high-level magic inspections.

Chu Hongtian smiled faintly. "In principle, cultivators on this mission can only take Fourth or Fifth Grade Spirit Pearls, and they must purchase them with Spirit Stones."

"However, rules are rigid, but people are flexible. You’ve achieved such great merit, so taking a mere Third Grade Spirit Pearl is no problem. I approve."

"Thank you, Island Master."

Zhao Lin bowed and exited the Island Master’s Mansion.

Chu Hongtian nodded slightly, stroking his chin and muttering to himself, ’Not bad, a real talent. It would be great if he could take on more missions in the future. Hmm, I can apply for more merit points for him. Best to build some goodwill now...’

The island had limited staff and facilities, with no dedicated Merit Hall. The person who recorded Zhao Lin’s merit points was the same elderly man with the surname Huang who had handled his registration.

"Truly remarkable! I’ve been on this island for thirty years and have never seen such... an impressive combat record!"

The elderly Mr. Huang clicked his tongue in amazement as he made the record.

As Zhao Lin walked out of the camp, the guard cultivators stopped one by one to bow, expressing their respect for his battle achievements.

...

"Fellow Daoist, are you heading to Han Chi County?"

On his journey back, Zhao Lin passed through a market city and was at a vessel station looking for a Spiritual Vessel to Han Chi County.

After asking around, he learned that the next departing Spiritual Vessel wouldn’t leave until tomorrow.

Just as he was about to head back to the market city to find an inn for the night, a simple-looking, honest-faced cultivator walked over and asked.

This person was only at the Qi Refining First Layer, and the pillar of qi he emitted was very scattered. With his mastery-level Qi Observation Skill, Zhao Lin could tell at a glance that this man was a Mortal Spirit Root cultivator.

"You have a Spiritual Vessel going to Han Chi County? Where is it?"

Zhao Lin stopped and asked.

"Yes, it’s right over there!"

The Mortal Spirit Root cultivator said enthusiastically, leading Zhao Lin to a corner of the vessel station and pointing to a small Spiritual Vessel. "This is the one. It’s only eighty Spirit Coins."

Eighty Spirit Coins wasn’t expensive; in fact, it was quite cheap. Judging by the Spiritual Vessel’s design and style, it wasn’t an official vessel, but a privately owned one.

Two cultivators were sitting on board, leaning against the gunwale with their eyes closed, resting.

Zhao Lin felt a flicker of doubt and couldn’t help but ask, "There are only two people. How much longer do we have to wait?"

"We leave as soon as you get on."

The Mortal Spirit Root cultivator explained, "The vessel’s owner has business in Han Chi County and is just taking on passengers along the way."

Zhao Lin hesitated. The reason sounded a bit flimsy. The Spiritual Vessel could carry at least ten people, so why take only three?

Moreover, the two cultivators on the boat were both at the Qi Refining Eighth Layer. Being on the same vessel with people like that made him uneasy.

Just then, a middle-aged cultivator in a brown robe walked over from a short distance away, smiling cheerfully at Zhao Lin. "Fellow Daoist, are you heading to Han Chi County? I am the owner of this Spiritual Vessel."

Zhao Lin didn’t speak. In his peripheral vision, he noticed the two cultivators on the boat glance over at the same time, and a sense of alarm immediately rose in his heart.

"I have something else to do. I’m not going." After saying that, he turned to leave.

"Hey, don’t go..."

The brown-robed cultivator grew anxious and grabbed Zhao Lin’s sleeve.

Zhao Lin’s expression darkened. He stopped and stared coldly at the hand.

The brown-robed cultivator’s face changed slightly. He sheepishly withdrew his hand. "Young friend, don’t worry. We really are leaving right now."

"I don’t feel like going anymore."

Zhao Lin flicked his sleeve and strode toward the market city.

’If there are no Spiritual Vessels today, I’ll just wait until tomorrow. I’m definitely not getting on one with such a shady origin.’

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